Design Philosophy Bar “Provoke Bar”

At Design Philosophy Bar “Provoke Bar” leaders of their fields in education, design, and editing gather from both within and without Japan to discuss and consider the provoking ideas each brings together in one place—all with a drink in hand. There will be six entries to this symposium, jointly sponsored by Musashino Art University Department of Science of Design and Kyushu University Faculty of Design.

Session 4
8/30 (Thursday) 7:00 P.M. – 9:30 P.M.
Location: Konya 2023
Title: Designing with Continuous Editing
Provocateurs: Keiichiro Fujisaki, Minako Ikeda
Coordinator: Toru Koga
Design is often said to be a solution to a problem, but in comparing the similarities between editing and design, it becomes evident that design is a never-ending, multi-tiered creation process that relies on finding the unasked question based on the answers obtained; a process that may lead to finding a new guide to design for the 21st century. Prof. Fujisaki, editor in chief of such publications of “Designers’ Workshop” along with Prof. Ikeda, who specializes in information editing and design history, discuss the creativity unique to the design process while weaving together the editing and design viewpoints inherent to the editing process.

Session 5
8/31 (Friday) 7:00 P.M. – 9:30 P.M.
Location: Konya 2023
Title: Design as an Element of Change
Provocateurs: Akiyo Kobayashi, Toru Koga
Coordinator: Hisayasu Ihara
Here, we re-examine present-day design from the perspective of semioticians Maurice and Peirce along with Deleuze who pioneered concept theory. Assuming that humans are the ones who give it meaning, then the goal of design is ultimately not physical nor does it stick to one function. And if that is the case, to what does it give shape, and for what purpose? Prof. Kobayashi, who tackles design from a semiotic standpoint, and Prof. Koga, who specializes in modern philosophy, search for a new angle on design as it links together symbols and concepts.

[Venues]
Konya 2023: 201 Daiichi Matsumura Building, 1-14-28 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0041 Tel: 092-984-6292

[Provocateur and Coordinator Profiles]
A “Provocateur” is a person who promotes discussion by asking provoking questions.

Hisayasu Ihara /
Professor, Kyushu University Faculty of Design. Gained research experience at GK Industrial Design Associates, and in 1988 became an assistant at Kyushu University’s School of Design. Has since taken up research on the paper media forms prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, such as brücke and Isotype.

Toru Koga /
Professor, Kyushu University Faculty of Design; specializes in philosophy. Current research is based on modern western philosophy. Even while preoccupied with the many issues of present-day life such as Minamata disease, leprosy, environmental destruction, and totalitarianism, he still attempts to build on the fundamental theories of design.

Akiyo Kobayashi /
Professor at Musashino Art University Department of Science of Design. Specializes in design theory/methodology and its history. His current project is investigating the “visualized” foundation of design from the perspective of a semiotician. To that end, he takes into account every aspect of its creation, from history—such as the 1920s where the concept of design was just being formed—to methodology and color theory.

Minako Ikeda /
Associate professor, Kyushu University Faculty of Design. She encountered Bauhaus while studying art history at Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany which piqued her interest in the field of design. After returning to Japan, she completed her graduate courses at Tokyo University of the Arts and became an assistant at the same university; later, she began working for a publisher editing design publications. After leaving, she jointly established IIDj and began working in earnest on informational design. She specializes in design and information editing.

Keiichiro Fujisaki /
A design critic and editor. Graduated from Sophia University’s foreign language program in German studies. After becoming editor in chief of the art publication “Designers’ Workshop,” he began contributing articles on design and architecture to magazines and newsletters as a freelance writer. He joined the Tokyo University of the Arts design faculty as an associate professor in 2010, becoming a full professor in 2016. He is currently serializing articles in design magazine “AXIS” chronicling his visits to laboratories at the forefront of biology.

[Co-Sponsors] Kyushu University Faculty of Design, Musashino Art University Department of Science of Design
[Supported by] Center for Designed Futures of Kyushu University
[With Cooperation From] NPO Doner le Mot, Konya 2023
[Contact] Kyushu University Faculty of Design, Toru Koga Tel: +81 92 553 4400